MUMBAI: England’s Ben Stokes has dedicated his match-winning unbeaten century for Rajasthan Royals to his father, who is battling cancer in New Zealand.
Ben Stokes smashed an unbeaten 107 off just 60 balls to help Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai Indians by eight wickets in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Ben Stokes’s father, in August, revealed he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The all-rounder spent time with his family before travelling to play in the Indian Premier League.
“I take a bit of solace that back home, where things are a bit rough, hopefully, that gives him a bit of happiness,” said an emotional Stokes after recording his highest IPL score with 14 fours and three sixes.
The all-rounder raised his bat and hand with a folded finger after the hundred as a gesture to his father, whose middle finger was amputated because of injuries received while playing and coaching rugby league.
Top effort from @benstokes38 107* and Samson 54* as they steer @rajasthanroyals to an 8-wicket win against #MI.#Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/IuHBbTgEDa
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 25, 2020
Stokes, who had pulled out of the England-Pakistan Test series in August, had scored just 110 runs in his five previous matches this season. His previous IPL best was 103 in 2017.
Stokes put on a brilliant 152 third-wicket stand with Sanju Samson as Royals passed the 196 targets with 10 balls to spare. This win leaves the Steve Smith-led Royals sixth in the IPL table with 10 points from 12 games.
On the other hand, Stokes’s performance was widely hailed. India’s batting great Sachin Tendulkar, on Twitter, wrote, “Big Player, Big Impact! Brilliant by Ben Stokes to make this chase look very comfortable.”
Big Player, Big Impact!
Brilliant 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ by @benstokes38 to make this chase look very comfortable.@IamSanjuSamson played an equally important innings and he was a perfect partner for Stokes. #RRvMI #IPL2020— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 25, 2020
Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle called Stokes’s effort “an innings to remember” and former England skipper Michael Vaughan called the innings a “class act”.
